


Marry Me

by bowlingalleycarpet



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, hands are being kissed, no plot - just love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowlingalleycarpet/pseuds/bowlingalleycarpet
Summary: It is only their second date when Arthur asks Gwen to marry him. They are lying on the grass in his garden, stargazing, the air unnaturally warm even for summer. Arthur is head over heels in love. He feels dizzy with it. There is no flourish to his proposal, just an earnestly whispered: “Guinevere?” “Yes?” “Marry me.”
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	Marry Me

**Author's Note:**

> My mind slipped, I don’t know what happened. Self-indulgent nonsense and excessive use of commas ahead, I apologise.

It is only their second date when Arthur asks Gwen to marry him. They are lying on the grass in his garden, stargazing, the air unnaturally warm even for summer. Arthur is head over heels in love. He feels dizzy with it. There is no flourish to his proposal, just an earnestly whispered: “Guinevere?”

“Yes?”

“Marry me.”

Gwen looks at him, sees the hopeful smile on his face, the raised eyebrows; he is expecting an answer, he is serious; and she starts laughing. “Arthur, I’m going to need a bit more time than that.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

“I’ll ask again tomorrow,” he adds jokingly, happy to make her laugh some more.

From then on, he says it every time he becomes overwhelmed with love for her. It becomes his _I love you so much, I am bursting with it_.

*

He whispers it against her lips the first time they sleep together. He has just pushed deep inside of her, and he is everywhere, grounding her, filling her senses, filling her, as the words reach her ears. His eyes are shining with love. It is raw and pure, and he looks so vulnerable in this moment that the magnitude of his devotion makes her head spin. She almost wants to scream _yes_. She silences herself by pressing her lips to his in a hungry kiss and feels like she is falling.

*

He screams it with joy as they are on holiday. They are playing in the shallow waters of the beach, but the waves are rough that day, so as Arthur gets tumbled by a strong wave, he ends up sitting in the sand about five meters away from her, spluttering and coughing. Gwen laughs at him and he grins back at her once he recovers. He shouts it over the roar of the unforgiving waves and Gwen laughs some more in response and pulls him up before the water can take him away again in its next onslaught.

*

He whispers it into her ear as they are drunkenly dancing at Merlin’s wedding, fairy lights swirling over their heads, his words slurred but the meaning behind them no less sincere. She pulls back and looks at him, her eyes wide. Then, she hiccups loudly in response. He laughs so hard he loses his balance and almost topples over.

*

One time he says it in the middle of an argument. Gwen is shouting and yelling, and he has completely lost track of what about, he is not even listening anymore. He knows he should care about whatever upset her so much (he does), but he is distracted. Her hair is in disarray, braided strands coming undone, her face scrunched up and slightly flushed, her voice raised, her hands waving around wildly, and he almost laughs with how much he loves her. He knows the moment is completely inappropriate (and at the same time it couldn’t be more right), so he says it.

“Marry me.”

She just huffs and storms off, but he knows she is more annoyed with herself now. His words reduced her flames to a smoulder.

*

Another time it is more serious. There is more at stake. Their dispute started about something benign, something stupid neither of them can remember, and then spiralled out of control. Gwen is shouting how selfish and inconsiderate he is being, and he suddenly deflates, the fight drops out of him. They stand in silence for a long moment (Gwen refuses to look at him), before he takes her hands between his, like in prayer, kisses the length of her fingers and the balls of her thumbs, his lips lingering, and whispers the familiar words against her skin, a bit desperately.

This time, it means _I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you_. It means _I’m sorry. You are right_. It means _I will try to be better_.

She kisses him despite her claim that she is still angry with him and he knows they will be okay.

*

He says it while they are painting the walls of their living room. In a fit of childish glee, he dips his hands into the paint bucket and crowds her against the freshly coated wall. He draws a line down her nose, cups her face with dirty hands as she shrieks, looks into her eyes, and says it with a grin so cheeky it could almost belie the meaning of his words. Gwen answers by throwing a paintbrush in his face.

He says it again later, standing in the shower, his voice low, barely above a murmur, as he is washing her hair, while she is failing to scrub the paint off his neck.

*

Over the years, as their love grows deeper, he says it less frequently, at least out loud. Gwen still sees it shine in his eyes all the time.

There is no need to say it.

*

It is the fifth anniversary of Arthur’s first proposal when things change.

They spend their Saturday morning lazing in bed, enjoying each other’s presence, talking about nothing of importance, falling quiet again, talking some more, simply content in being together. Their legs are tangled under the sheets, hands are clasped in the space between them, taking turns in drawing idle patterns on each other’s arms.

Gwen breaks the silence with a whisper.

“Arthur?”

He hums in response. His eyes are closed, face directed towards the ceiling, a smile forming on his lips.

“Marry me.”

His eyes shoot open. He turns to look at her in astonishment, searching her face for a hint of concealed amusement to reveal that she is joking.

She bites her lip in anticipation, and to stop herself from grinning. She knows what is coming. For a second, time is frozen, and she uses that moment to commit his completely stunned face to memory.

Then he launches himself at her, laughing with sheer joy, kissing her own laughing mouth, her face, her neck, every spot he can reach, frantically pressing kisses everywhere, pressing his answer into her skin as if to seal his promise, shouting _yesyesyesyesyes_ all the while amidst unadulterated laughter, and single _yes_ -es with every kiss peppered onto her skin. He pulls her hands up to his face, covers her palms in kisses, too, eyes wide with wonder.

His cheeks hurt from grinning.

So do hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and criticism are always appreciated.


End file.
